2006 Dodge Viper SRT10
Coupe Review

Cult Car

In
short: A street-legal
race car for [almost] everybody.

The
Viper cult may sound like something from an Indiana Jones
movie, but for seventeen years, sports car enthusiasts have
been flocking to the Dodge Viper with religious devotion.
Even before hitting the streets in 1992, the worldwide faithful
were seduced by the Viper concept at the 1989 North
American International Auto Show and by the production
version that debuted in 1991 as the Indianapolis
500 pace car.

Years
later and now in its second generation, there is still nothing
quite like it on the road. The Viper’s styling, like
it or not, is distinctive and continues to turn heads. With
its ferocious 8.3-liter V10 engine, it has the strength of
a tractor and the speed of a bullet. However, it’s very
basic and not that comfortable. It’s loud and the interior
gets very hot. There are no cup holders, nor any luxury appointments.
Yet, devoted cult members are willing to overlook these nitpicks
because the Viper comes as close to driving a race car as
you can get while still being street legal.

Slip
into the snug cockpit, buckle up, engage the twelve-inch clutch,
push the red starter button and then synchronize your heart
with the purr of the monstrous aluminum V10. You’re
ready to go. And go quickly you will, as a big grin on your
face emerges while the Viper strikes up to 60 mph in less than
four seconds. You’ll want to open it up like this wherever
and whenever possible, and we suggest booking some track time
to see exactly how much opening up it’s capable of.

If
the standard 510 horses aren’t enough for you, try car
tuner Hennessey’s twin-turbo version that boasts double
the torque and horsepower (yes, double!). The fact that it
can handle that much punch is a credit to the Team Viper engineers’
unique fine-tuned chassis and powertrain.

The standard Viper’s steering is very precise and its
power delivery constant. This is a true enthusiast’s
car and there are no electronics to bring the car back if
you start to slide. The 19-inch Michelin Pilot Sport tires
do a great job of gluing the Viper to the road in most conditions,
but drivers simply have to learn how to moderate the accelerator
pedal carefully. If that fails, its huge fourteen-inch vented
ABS brakes can stop you in a hurry – in fact, the Viper
can impressively go from zero to 100 mph and back down to
zero in less than fifteen seconds.

Although you might miss snake worship on your days away from
it, the Viper wouldn’t make a good everyday car. The
interior offers decent headroom and leg-friendly adjustable
pedals, but it’s pretty cramped with limited shoulder
space, and the engine’s side-port exhaust heats up the
cockpit like a Coleman barbecue. The trunk is big enough for
a golf bag or some groceries, but there is otherwise very
little storage space.

This
limited mode of transportation might not be for everyone,
but it’s a fun back-to-basics car. It relies on pure
force to create a very special high-performance package at
an affordable price - at least compared to equally fast supercars.

The
Viper had established itself as the quintessential American
sports car until the C5 Corvette came along in 1997. Although it has lost ground to its Chevy competition, it is still awesome and we know Dodge is working hard on putting its automotive icon definitively
back on top. With about 4,000 registered Viper cult members
in 40 worldwide owners clubs, there should be plenty of fanfare
if and when it happens.